1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to agricultural equipment such as row crop cultivators, and, more specifically, to an adjustable gauge wheel mounting arrangement for such equipment.
2. Related Art
Implements such as row crop cultivators typically include a plurality of individual rigs transversely spaced on a tool bar. A fore-and-aft extending rig tube of rectangular cross section is supported for vertical movement by a parallel linkage connected to the tool bar, and a depth gauging wheel pivotally connected to the tube maintains the tube at a preselected distance above the ground. Various arrangements of ground engaging tools are carried on the tube for penetrating the soil to a given depth dependent upon the gauge wheel adjustment.
Several problems exist with conventional gauge wheel assemblies, including the inability to provide a simple pivot mounting which is strong enough to withstand specified torque on the pivot mounting bolt without crushing the tube. Welded pivots can be used, but welding increases the time and expense of fabrication and is aesthetically undesirable. Also, alignment of the welded pivot is often a problem, and stresses on the rig can result in premature breakage in the weld area.
A further problem with conventional gauge wheel assemblies is that many lack a simple and reliable gauge wheel adjustment which is compact and easy to access. Some gauge wheel supports include a vertical standard with a series of vertically spaced holes which can be pinned at different hole locations to the tube. Others include long screw-threaded cranks having a lower end extending below the tube to a connection with a gauge wheel arm, and an upper crank end extending above the rig. Access to the crank end may be restricted, and making necessary adjustments can be time consuming and inconvenient.
The size of the depth gauging wheel or the number of depth gauging wheels utilized per rig may vary with ground conditions or tool configuration. With many of the available gauge wheel assemblies there is no convenient way to quickly and easily change the gauge wheel arrangement. Some assemblies require entire gauge wheel arm replacement to provide for dual gauge wheels or to mount gauge wheels having a diameter which differs from that of the wheels originally supplied with the equipment.